Walking with Dinosaurs

The dinosaurs in Istria...

In the Cretaceous period, 80-140000000 years ago, the Istrian peninsula was inhabited by dinosaurs. This is the time of the separation of the land and the formation of the continents, a period of hot and dry climate that is favorable to the development of lush vegetation.The first discovery of dinosaurs in Istria happened in 1934. Adolf Bachofen-Echt, an Austrianbrewer and passionate paleontologist,found footprints of dinosaurs in the area of Cape Ploče on Veli Brijuni.Over the next decades, footprints were found at several places: on the peninsula Marlera near Medulin and on the nearby island Levan. Traces were found on a small island Fenoliga and in a small bay in Premantura.The greatest discovery followed in 1992 when Dario Boscarolli, a diver from Monfalcone, accidentally discovered bones on the seabed near Bala. It is the first and so far only discovery of dinosaur bones in the entire Mediterranean.The discovered bones speak of the existence of at least a dozen species of dinosaurs. One of them is the Brachiosaurus, an herbivore, one of the largest that existed on earth, whose body length was 20 to 25 meters, and only the length of the neck was almost 10 meters.At the World Congress of paleontologist in Beijing, in 1995, this latest find was presented as the discovery of the year and Bale-Valle was then included in the list of World paleontological sites.A part of the bones is exhibited in Bale.

...and those in Dinopark Funtana

The unique finding of footprints and dinosaur boneswere the main stimulus, while the desire for introducing the wider public to these magnificent creatures was the main challenge in the development of DunoparkaFuntana.In Dinopark Funtana you will go through various parts of the world, through many periods and introduce more than thirty different dinosaurs to get a wider and more complete picture of these magnificent creatures.Here you will be welcomed by moving dinosaurs in life-size. You can experience them by walking through the park in a beautiful natural environment. Our 1.5km long wooden trail is partly in the forest, and partly outdoors. Partly of the country, and partly above the rocks. It is partly flat and partly steep. But it will create an unforgettable and authentic experience of these magnificent creatures!